Monday, November 16, 2009

Beloved Companion

Beloved Companion is Part II of the Egyptian Series. The first piece in this series was Queen of The Nile, a tribute to Cleopatra. This piece celebrates Nefertiri. History tells us that Nefertiri was the Royal Wife of Ramses II. She was married to him when she was only 13 years old and he a mere 15 years of age. At the time, Ramses had not even taken the throne. They were said to have had quite a love life and Ramses even refers to her as the "One for whom the sun shines." After they ascended to the throne, he seems to have taken her on as Co Regent of Egypt. Later, he had a temple built at AbuSimbel and dedicated it to Nefertiri. In fact, many of the ancient artwork depicted during this time shows him to be at eye level with her whereas traditionally, the Queen was always portrayed smaller than the Pharaoh to distinguish His superiority. It is not known when she died but she is said to have had one of the most elaborate tombs in The Valley of The Queens. She is known by many titles including Beautiful Companion and Queen of Upper and Lower Egypt. This piece was completed November 16, 2009 and measures 17 X 25 and is mounted on a 24 X 30 canvas. The background is composed of upholstery fabric that is reminiscent of papyrus. Their skin is made of hand dyed fabric and his clothes consist of silk dupioni and commercial fabrics. Nefertiri's clothes are hand painted with Stewart Gill paints. Their necklaces are gold foiled and painted with setacolor ultramarine blue paint mixed with clear gel medium to impart a jewel like lapis tone. Her headdress is painted with sparkling mica and pigment watercolor paints along with gold foiling. Here, Ramses is pictured offering Nefertiri a Lotus plant which is symbolic of rebirth and renewal. The Egyptiancartouches stamped above are their names, Ramses and Nefertiri. This piece was so much fun to make as I was allowed to just play with new and exciting mediums.

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About Me

Hi, I’m Barb Forrister and I am a fiber artist. I am a member of International Quilt Association (IQA), Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), American Quilter Society, Austin Fiber Arts (AFA), Dallas Quilt Guild (DQG) and Austin Area Quilt Guild (AAQG). I make my own original designs and I usually begin with a painted and or dyed surface and then build from there. I absolutely adore texture. My goal is to capture the viewer's attention and interest through both visual and tactile means. I try to accomplish this by adding tulle, organza, organdie, chiffon, cheesecloth, and heat distressed plastics to impart texture to my work.